Stem making machine



May 31, E 1,861,271

sma MAKING MAQHINE Filed March l8 193Q 2 Sheets-Sheet l PE TEA .HIFRRE H WM Hrs ATTD NEY.

May 31, 1932. P. HERRE 1,861,271

STEM MAKING MACHINE Filed March 18, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i 5 /4 vi F j JNVENTUA PE TEE HEARS,

BY WW .5 25 Ara-031x222"?- Patented May 31, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT 4 OFFICE PETER HEBRE, OF IICETENAU, KBEIS NIEDEBBARNIM, GERMANY, A SSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A GORPO RATION OF NEW YORK STEM MAHNG MACHINE Application fled latch 18, 1830, Serial No. 436,877, and in Germany April 6, 19 29.

My invention relates to machines for makingstems for electric incandescent lamps and s1m1lar articles. Such stems ordinarily comprise a stem or flare tube, an exhaust tube and leadin -in conductors having portions thereof sea ed in a stem press which unites the stem or flare tube and exhaust tube and ortions extending therebeyond to which a ament may be united. It is often necessary that the filament receiving ends of the lead wires be more widely separated than the out- I er portions of said wires. Heretofore this has been accomplished by the insertion of bent leads in a flare tube which had been partially flattened and widened at its inner end. My invention provides means whereby such stems are produced without necessltating such pre-bending of the leads or flattening of the flare tube end.

so In the drawings, Fig. 1 comprises a plan and side elevation of flare tubing which may be used according to my invention; Fi 2 comprises a plan and side elevation of are tubing formerly used; Fig. 3 is a schematic plan view of a machine comprising my invention; Fig, 4 is a front elevation of a portion of a head; Fig. 5 is a side elevation thereof partially in section; Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 thereof; and Figs. 7 to 10 are side elevations showing various positions of the o ierat'ng parts. Y

111 i 1 and 2 are shown the flare tube and leagi ng-in wire assemblies used according to my lnvention and according to prior practice. My invention is incorporated in each head of the machine schematically; shown in Fig. 3 and acts in cooperation wit the stem forming operations of this machine. This machine is intermittently indexed and performs the following operations at the positions indicated. a,

Atposition A, exhaust tube 13 is placed within the jaws 14 in the arms 15 as more clearly shown in the, enlarged machine head shown in Figs. 4 and 5. At the next' POSI- tion, B, a flare tube 10 s1ides down the rods 16 and into the jaws 17- of the machine head. The leading-in wires 18 are next put in the head at position C, their lower ends restin against the shoulders 19 (Figs. 4,:5 and 6? the said levers.

of the levers 20 and 21, and their middle portrons passing through the slotted guide arms 22 and 23 of these levers. The pin 12 definitely locates the upper ends of the levers 2U and 21. I Before the head is indexed to position D,

the leading-in wires are forced against the center portions of the guide slots and clampe b the ends 24 and 25 of the levers 26 and 2 Both sets of levers 20, 21 and 26, 27 are operated in the slot 28 in the carriage 29 on the p1ns 30, 31, 32 and 33 respectively by the action of the springs 34 and 35 respectively.

The outer set of levers 26. and 27 'is keptopen during the insertion of the leading-in w1res by the plunger 36 whose prongs 37 and .38,

"when the plunger is in its highest position,

bear against the balls 39. in the lower ends of I To clamp the leading-in w1res the rod 40, on which the plunger is fastened, is lowered clear of the ends of the levers. The mechanism is held in a definite positlon by the carriage 29 which is fastened to the rigid arms 41 by the bolts 42. The stem parts are thus securely held by the machine head and my device passes on through the followlng three positions D, E and F where the lower ends of the flare tubing 10 and the exhaust tube 13 are acted upon by the burners 43 to form the stem press 44.. The change that has taken place in the stem can be read ily seen by comparing Figs. 7 and 8.

Midway between positions F and G there is mounted the cam 45 over which the rollers 46 upon the pin 47 travel during the indexing period of the machine. Because of the particular shape of the cam 45 (Fig. 9) the .pin 47 which rides in the vertical slot 48 will be moved upward and the levers 20 and 21 will be spread. The spreading of the levers is produced by the pin 47 when it enters the narrow channel between the levers bounded by their humps 49 and 50. The leading-in wires which are stillclamped by the outer levers 26 and 27 are thereby bent outwards and this is accompanied bya widening of the softened lower part of the stem press. Before the rollers 46 have passed beyond the end of the cam 45, the plunger 36 is raised spreading the outer jaws and releasing the leadingin wires as shown in Fig. 10.

At the following position, G, the clamps 51 and 52 press against the sides of the stem press 44 and flatten it. At positions H, J, and K, the stem is annealed and at position L, the complete stem is removed from the ma chine. Between positions L and M are located the cams 53 the under surfaces-0f which are engaged by the rollers 46 and are thereby drawn to their lower positions allowing the levers 20 and 21 to come together.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a stemmachine, the combination of jaws for supporting an assembly comprising a glass tube and leading-in wires extending longitudinally therefrom of a pair of levers having guide arms extending therefrom between said leading-in wires and shaped to receive portions of said leading-in wires, another pair of levers disposed outside said leading-in wires and having portions there- "of shaped to clamp said wires against] said guide arms, a pin movably mounted bet-ween oted levers said first mentioned pair of levers, a cam for moving said pin and a member for moving said second mentioned levers to cause said clamping portions thereof to open or close,

said first mentioned levers being shaped so that movement of the aforesaid pin causes said guidearms to approach each other or separate depending on the direction of said movement.

2. In a stem machine, the combination of jaws for supporting an assembly comprising a glass tube and leading-in wires extending longitudinally therefrom of a pair of pivoted levers having guide arms extending therefrom between said leadin -in wires and shaped to receive portions 0 said leading-in wires, another pair of pivoted levers disposed outside said leading-in wires and having portions thereof shaped to clamp said wires against said guide arms, a P111 movably mounted between said first mentioned pair of levers, a cam for moving said pin and a member for moving said second mentioned levers to cause said clamfping portions thereof to open or close, said ing shaped so that said pin causes said each other or separate depending on the direction of said movement.

3. In a stem machine, the combination of jaws for supporting an assembly comprising a glass tube and leading-in wires extending longitudinall therefrom of a pair of ivaving guide arms exten ing therefrom between said leading-in wires and shaped to receive portions of said leading-in wires, another pair of pivoted levers disposed outside said leading-in wires and having portions thereof slotted to clamp said; wires against vsaid guide arms, a pin movably rst mentioned levers bemovement of the aforeguide arms to approach 

